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`JOSEPH BELL' ALEXANDER OF WASHINGTON, Dis'rnio'r OF COLUMBIA.

Letters Patent No. 71,566, dated .December 3, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT' IN LAMPS. d Y

TO ALL WHOMIT MAY OONOERN:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BELL ALEXANDER, of Washington, in the countyof Washington, inthe District .of Columbia, have invented o. new andimproved Device for Adjnsting the Wicks of Lamps; and I dohereb-y-declare that the following is a full, clear, and exaetdescriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto theletters of reference marked thereon, making a part of thisspecification.'

Figure 1 represents in perspective a view of the single platewick-holder, with its turned 'edges C and C',

Vand its turned lip or stop D.

Figure Z'represents'in perspective a view of the wick-holder containingtwo pieces of wick, and showing at N the manner in which a new wick 'maybe added to one that is becoming to short to reach the oil in the dfountain ofthe lamp.

v' Figure 3 represents in perspective a view of the wick-tube, withnotches E and E' into its edges, instead of the slots iu the wick-tubesin common use.

,Figure 4 represents in perspective a view ofthe wick-holder A, chargedwith 'a wick, W, and inserted in the wick-tube B, `so that its edges may-be acted on by the bevelled friction-collars G and G', through thenotches'E and E', for thepurpose of raising or lowering the wick.

Figui-e5 represents a transverse sectional viewot a burner in the planeof the axle F, showing the manner in which the bevelled,friction-collars Gr and G', pressed bythe spring S and S', bind with awedge-like grip upon the free edges of the wick-holder A.'

Figure 6 represents a vertical sectional view of a burner, with thewick-holder plateA., without a'wiek, 'inserted into thcrwick-tube B, andpushed up until ift-rises above the mouth or slot in the cone L, showingthe manner in which the stop D arrests its further progress upward.

Similar'letters of reference denote like parts where they occur in theseveral figures.

A The nature of my invention consists in an improvement upon a patent(No. 64,056) granted to me, April 23', 1867, for a device for'raisingandlowering lamp-wicks through the wick-tube, with certainty, facility, andperfectness, wherein I claimed the use of twoxmetal plates, with turnededges to fit the one into vthe other, as a -wick-holder, and moved inthe wick-tube by milled friction-'collars acting through slots'on bothits sides. In my present improvement I use butone plate, with turnededges, as a wick-holder, and move it in the Wick-tube Vby means ofbevelled friction-collars attached to but one axle, and acting from oneside; and by -a wedgelike gripe upon the wick-holder plate when itsedges,exposed through notches in the edges of the. wick-tube, are-pressedhetween the bevelled inside faces of the friction-collars, thusforming an entirely new device, easier to manufacture, more simple inits arrangement, and more cer-tain and lasting in its action.

To enahle others skilled in the art te make and use my invention, Iwill-proceed to describe its construel tion and operation.

I make a wick-tube, of brass or other metal, like those in common use,With-the exception, that instead of p cutting' slotsin the side forthc'admission oftheteeth of spur-Wheels, I cut notches in the edges Eand E', (see drawings,) to permit an exposure at those points of theedges of the wiclvholder plate A, asseen in figs. 4, 5,

und 6. I make a wick-holder ofa single plate of metal, (see A, fig. 1,)by turning its edges C and O'in such` amant-1er as to allow acotton-wick to be easily drawn into it, as seen in W, iig. 2, and Asothat it will pass with ease through the wick-tube B. I also at the lowerendturn oii a smalllip, D, as a. stop to prevent it from rising higherin' the Awick-tube than necessary,i(see D, figs. 1 and 6.) On the axleF, I attach firmly, at a. little less distance apart than the'width ofthe plate A, two small wheels or friction-collars, of brass or othermetal, ywith their inner sidesl or faces bevelled, as seen in .Gr andG', iig. 6, so that they will clamp the vedges of the plate A whenpressed upon it by-thelaotion of the spring Sand S', which'I attach tothe inside of the burner I in such a' manner as tobear firmly with itsprong or prongsupon the axle F, as may be seen in figs. 4, 5, and 6. Inthesides of the burner, I cut the slots K and K' as hearings-for theaxle F, so as to allow it free play under the action of the springand-.S. Now, by reference to the drawings, it will be seen, that whenthe plate A, chargedwith a wick, is inserted into the wick-tube B, itsedges, through the notches E and E', where they are exposed, will heseized by the friction-collarsGr and G', and-"ii` the button H, on theend of the axle' F, be

turned or twisted by the hand, the plate A will rise vvor lower withperfect ease and certainty, thus adjusting the upper end of the wickabove the wick-tubeB, to the amount or volume of ilame'required.

The advantages of my improvement are as follows: A wick can be insertedinto the wick-tube with ymuch greater Afacility than in that of lampslof common use. As there is no direct actionof the moving power, on thebody of the wick itself, it ivill continue to hold the shape in which itis ,trimmed without change, and thus give the largest and brightestflame which can'be obtained from a lamp. It will give more freedom tothe passage of oil through the wick; and a wick never being ravellcd, asby the spur-wheels which enter it, as in ordinary lamps, will last untilit is all consumed, for as soon as a wick, from the process of burningand trimming,

becomes too short totake the oil from the fountain, theend oi" anotherwick may be added to it, and thus continue to pass theow of oilunobstructed, as will `be seen at N, fig. 2, it being only necessary,when the upper wick is pushed up in trimming, to. push up the lower oneagain until it touches the rst.

What I claim as new, and as of my invention, and for which I desire toobtain Letters Patent, is-

The single plate A, with the turned edges and C', and the bentstop-piece D, in combination with the wick-tube B, the notches E and E',the bevelled friction'collars Gr and G', the axle F, the spring S andS', and the burner I, substantially as described, and for the purposesetforth.

I also claim thenotches E and E', in the edges of the wick-tube B,substantially as described, and for the i purpose set forth.

I also claimthe bevelled friction-collars G- and G', in combination withthe axle F, the plate A, the wicktubeB, the spring S and S', the notchesE and E', and the slots K' and K', when arranged together and withregard to the adjustment of wicks in oil-burning lamps.

' J. B. ALEXANDER.

.- Witnesses.:

Gr. BELL, E.. T. BRIDGES.

